DoCoMo Figures Out How To Bluespam Without The Spam

from the that-wasn't-so-hard-was-it dept

Bluespamming -- sorry, "bluecasting" -- is another example of spam under the guise of mobile marketing. A recent campaign saw 85% of the people spammed reject connections, though the companies behind it view this as 85% taking advantage of an opt-out mechanism. That's why it's bluespamming -- it's opt out, not opt in. Now, NTT DoCoMo seems to have solved the problem by eschewing Bluetooth in favor of some contactless IC technology that people can use to get information on their phones. Instead of being pelted with an unsolicited request, users can swipe their phones in front of a transmitter and capture some information. This also builds on the idea that advertising is content, and vice versa. People won't willingly accept an advertisement on their phone without some sort of benefit, whether it's a discount coupon, or some useful or entertaining content. Letting people make the decision of what's beneficial, and what to invite to their phones, certainly stands a better chance of success than spam.